Florida jumped on us early scoring three runs in the top of the first. We responded with one in the first and four in the fifth to give us a five to three lead going into the top of the sixth. The sixth would remain scoreless while Florida added two more in the top of the seventh and two in the eight giving them a seven to five lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. We cut the lead to one thanks to Matt’s sacrifice fly to deep center field. The score was now seven to six. We held them scoreless in the top of the ninth and were coming down to our final half inning, needing one to tie and two to win. Our first batter struck out swinging after a questionable check swing. Coach was livid and almost was ejected from the game. Our next batter walked and advanced to scoring position after a passed ball by their catcher. Here we were in the bottom of the ninth, one out and a runner on second. Our next batter hit a soft grounder to the second baseman, which allowed our runner to easily make it to third. Two outs, runner on third, still down by one. I sat and watched, hopeful that coach would put me in. As our batter made his way to the batter box, I heard coach yell his name. He looked at me and told me to get a bat. I was pinch hitting.
I had been holding a bat in my hand the entire game, so I felt as though my arms were pretty loose. I got up and did a quick stretch and then grabbed the lead donut to take a couple of practice swings. Once I was done, I pounded the handle on the ground as the donut slid off. I made my way to the batter’s box as I called time so I could get the proper footing. I had my right leg dug into the dirt and took a couple of light practice swings as I waited for the pitch. I jumped on the first pitch and fouled it straight back. The swing felt good and I was right on him. The second pitch was the same thing. I took a good swing and again fouled the ball straight back. I was definitely in a pitcher’s count down two strikes with no balls. The next pitch was a breaking ball that bounced right in front of home plate. The catcher made an awesome play preventing our runner from scoring on a wild pitch. The next ball was low and inside. “Two balls, two strikes” the umpire bellowed. As I dug into the box, I had a flash back to my last high school game. It felt eerily similar. I had just missed winning that game and hoped this wouldn't be a repeat. The next pitch was an inside fastball that I got around on and fouled it deep down the left field line. The ball felt good coming off the bat. I had hit it on the sweet spot, but just got out in front a little too much. I dug in once again and waited for him to come set. He kicked his leg up into the air and let go of the pitch. I could see the ball spinning as it headed for me. It had too much spin. He hung a curveball over the inside part of the plate. I reared back and slightly lifted my left leg and planted it in the dirt as I took a mighty cut. I connected on the sweet part of the bat and could hear the lovely ping and watched the ball fly. I gingerly trotted down the first base line continuing to watch the ball. It was gone. The dugout erupted and ran onto the field standing around home plate waiting for me to round the bases.
The feeling was pure unadulterated joy as I put my right fist in the air rounding first. As I was getting close to second I took a glance towards home to observe my teams’ jubilation. By doing this, I took my eye of the bag and just caught the outside corner of the bag with my right foot. This caused me to stumble and when my left leg planted in the dirt, I heard the sound I prayed I would never hear again. My knee had popped. I stopped for a brief second as I tried to regain my composure. I put my weight down on my left knee and it just buckled causing me to fall to the ground. If it wasn't for the pain, I would have been completely embarrassed. I looked at coach and he knew immediately what had happened. He wanted to run out on the field, but was uncertain what the rule was for an injured player after hitting a home run. The second base ump came to me and asked how bad it was. I told him my knee was shot. He too didn't know if he could help me up as he stood over me telling me this. Florida had already exited the field. I felt like I was on an island with no one to help. The crowd and my teammates went from pure joy to not knowing what would happen if I couldn't make it. I got to my feet as the rest of the umps had gathered around me hurriedly checking through the rule book on whether I could have help or a pinch runner. I wasn't waiting. I hopped on my right leg to third base as coach stood there waiting. Still not knowing the ruling he walked right beside me, encouraging me to make it home. I made it to home where I collapsed on home plate and was quickly raised up by my teammates and carried to our dugout. We were going to the College World Series, and my baseball career was over.
Chapter 43
We wound up losing our first two games of the College World Series and came home empty handed. I didn't attend the series due to messing up my knee once again. I officially announced my retirement from ever playing competitive baseball again. The doctor advised me against playing anymore. He said if I wanted to ever walk normal again, I needed to minimize the risk of tearing my knee as much as possible.
The summer leading up to my senior year was horrible. Most of my time was either spent rehabbing my knee or spending countless hours in summer school. If I wanted to graduate by the end of my senior year, a full schedule was required.
The only good thing about having a summer free of baseball was the amount of time I got to spend with Amy and my friends. I cannot even remember the last time I wasn't playing ball during the summer. We spent a good month at her parent’s house in Andalusia. I became very close with her parents, and was officially part of the family. I even started to take a liking to her twin brothers, which I never thought would ever be possible. They ended up being a couple cool little pricks.
Matt got engaged to Carly over the summer. There were plenty of people back home who were shocked with this news, especially his ex, Lisa. She was trying to reconnect with him over the summer and Matt shot her down. He was the first guy in history to ever turn Lisa away. What could he do? He was madly in love with Carly. They set the date for next summer. They joked their graduation present for each other was them getting married.
I think Amy was a little bit jealous of Carly. To be honest, the thought of proposing to her had crossed my mind. I wasn't in any hurry. We had a good thing going, plus I knew I had some unfinished business to take care of back home.
Mary had been keeping in contact with Troy’s wife Sharon. Troy would tell me from time to time what they talked about. After a while, I told him I didn't want to know anymore. I had moved on and from what I understood, she had too. The last thing he told me was that Mary would be graduating from college this coming spring and there was a chance she was moving back on her own. I was proud of her for that. I knew before I could take that next step with Amy, I would need to talk to her. Not to get back with her, but to know she was comfortable in her life. The last time I saw her, the door was open for a reunion. I didn't need her approval, but knew she needed to hear my plans from me.
Fall semester of my senior year went by in the blink of an eye. Being able to concentrate on my academics made a big difference in my GPA. It was amazing how much easier school was when you were committed to only that. For the spring semester, I decided to do my student teaching in Andalusia with Amy.
Matt and Carly decided to rent an apartment together before the spring semester. So instead of living in the dorm on my own, I spent the semester staying with Amy at her parent’s house. Not to mention the commute from Andalusia to Tuscaloosa would be impossible.
Amy and I both were student teaching at the same elementary school. She was with a third grade class and I was with the physical education program. Rumor had it that the head baseball coach at the high school was getting ready to retire. I was able to volunteer with the high school program and even became the junior varsity coach when he unexpectedly resigned over some personal issues. It was awesome being the man in charge of a team. This would definitely take time away from Amy, but she understood.
I made quite the name for myself coaching JV. I had my players playing in top form and we were annihilating the other JV squads. It was tough maintaining a full squad when several o
f my players kept getting promoted to varsity. I think by the time the season ended, I had a team full of freshman who had never played before. I whipped them into shape and we continued our domination. I figured if the coach retired, I would surely be first in line to replace him. By the end of the season, I was having more fun coaching than I ever did when I played. I enjoyed molding these kids into something special. This is exactly what I wanted to do with my life.
As my last semester in college was winding down, there were some big decisions I was going to have to make. It never became clearer until a conversation Amy’s dad had with me one evening.
He was planning on throwing a big party for us down at their beach house and wanted me to accompany him on a trip down there to drop off all the supplies. Her mom and some of her friends would then make the trip down to set everything up later.
I knew this conversation was going to come up and he didn't disappoint.
“Darrel, you mind if I ask you a personal question?” he said.
“Sure Mr. Middleton.”
“What are your plans with Amy? I mean, I know you gave her some sort of….promise ring right? What exactly did that mean?”
It was kind of embarrassing talking to him about this, “It meant that I promised I would always be there for her. It wasn't necessarily a promise ring, but more of a commitment ring.”
“So what does that mean?”
“It means that I want to be with her for however long she wants to be with me.”
“So basically, it’s a pre-engagement ring?”
I laughed, “If you want to call it that.”
“Well, what would you call it then Darrel?”
This was way too much for me. He was dead serious. “It was to show her that I am committed to her and only her. These are some serious questions Mr. Middleton.”
“I’m sorry Darrel. By the way, you have got to stop calling me Mr. Middleton. Please start calling me Dave from here on out. You've been part of the family long enough haven’t you?”
I chuckled, “I suppose.”
“Honestly though, Darrel. I guess what I am getting at is, you don’t need to ask for my blessing on proposing to Amy if you wish. I don’t even know if that’s on your mind or not. What I do know is how happy you have made her. She lights up every time you walk into the room. Did you know that?”
Now I was definitely embarrassed, “I always assumed she was happy with me.”
“Happy! My God boy, she’s more than just happy. That girl is absolutely crazy for you. Like I told you a while back, any guy that makes my daughter that happy is alright with me. No pressure, but I would be honored to call you my son-in-law.”
“Well thank you mister, I mean Dave.”
We ended up spending the night at their beach house. It was cool just being the two of us. I learned a lot about him I didn't know. It also made me kind of sad. I should have been enjoying time with my own Dad, but like my mom, he was taken way too early. Dave asked a lot of questions about my dad. I beamed with pride when I talked about him. I really missed him that night. I missed my mom too. Who knows where life would have taken me if they were still around to steer me in the right direction. I knew they would be happy with the choices I made. I knew they would be happy with Amy too.
As I lied there in bed that night, I did a lot of thinking. I knew I wanted to be with Amy. I would be crazy not to. She was everything anyone could ask for. Hot as hell, a heart of gold and fully committed to me. I thought about how I would tell Mary or when I would even get the opportunity to tell her. I wondered how I would feel when, and if, I ever see her. It had been so long since the last time we spoke, she was almost just a memory. From everything I knew about her, she was doing well. It wasn't long before I started thinking about Amy again. That right there was proof enough. I was more in love with her than I ever thought imaginable. I missed her. We had spent so much time together the past year, we were already practically married. The only thing left for me to do was make it official.
Chapter 44
It was May 10, 1997 and I was graduating from college. The ceremony was to take place at 10:00 AM and was expected to last for a good four hours. Afterwards, we were all hopping into our vehicles and driving down to the beach house.
I was getting ready to go pick up Amy and then drive to the school when I received a call.
“Darrel,” the voice said. “This is Coach Bradley. How have you been?”
I was shocked, “Coach, I’m great. How are you?”
“Congratulations on graduating today. I’m sorry everything didn't turn out like we had hoped. I heard you are quite the coach though. Good job with the JV team.”
Coach had called me after my last injury and we talked for hours. I felt like he was the only one who understood my pain.
“Thanks coach. Well…I’m graduating, so baseball was good to me in that way.”
“Yes indeed Darrel. Well listen. The reason I called you was to invite you to my retirement party next Saturday. I know its short notice, but it would mean a lot to me if you were there.”
“Are you serious? You’re not old enough to retire.”
“Well, it’s not that I’m officially retiring. I’m just retiring from being the baseball coach. I accepted the job to become the athletic director here.”
“Congratulations, I guess. I wouldn't miss it for the world.”
“Great Darrel. It’s going to be at the school at 1:00 PM and then we are all going to head to the VFW. I can’t wait to see you.”
I was shocked at the news. Part of me thought the reason he wanted me there was to offer me the head coach position. I didn't want to tell him over the phone I had accepted a job at the elementary school I did my student teaching at. I was also offered and accepted the head coach position with the baseball team. It made me smile that he thought of calling me to invite me to his retirement party. It was going to be nice seeing him again.
I did need to get back so I could visit my parents’ graves. I had kept my dad’s promise by not coming home until I graduated. A tear rolled down my eye thinking about the conversation we had on our way down to Tuscaloosa. He knew what he was doing that day. I became the first Watson to ever graduate from college, and I owed it all to my mom and dad.
I picked up Amy and we arrived at the gymnasium for the graduation ceremony. It was jam packed due to the large graduating class. I looked for her parents and couldn't find them. Troy had called me a week earlier and told me they were unable to make it due to their work schedules. It was disappointing not having him there. I continued to scour the crowd for her parents with no luck. I asked Amy where they would be sitting and she said she didn't know. She had a little conniving smile about her today, and I knew she was up to something. She wouldn’t let on though.
We took our assigned seats, and now it was just a waiting game for our names to get called. Every time they announced a graduate’s name, certain sections in the crowd would cheer. Some people had loud cheers and others just a whimper of a clap. I figured I would have at least Amy’s parents clapping for me. Matt’s parents were supposed to come down too. If I was lucky, they would also add to my applause. I felt sorry for the kids who didn't have anyone there for them, so I clapped for everyone.
They finally got to the education majors. Amy and I stood up and waited in line. The PE majors were the first to go. I slowly made my way to the stage and walked up a step each time a name was announced. It was finally my turn as I waited patiently for the school president to announce my name.
“Darrel Watson.” All of a sudden a huge roar came from one section of the crowd. I looked up at the section and saw my entire family standing on their feet clapping, hooting and hollering. My eyes immediately filled with tears as I stared at them, feeling lost in the emotion of them all being here for my special day. I turned around to look at the line of graduates searching for Amy. Our eyes connected and she placed her hand over her mouth as she tried to hold in her emotions. She smiled at me w
ith so much love, I wanted to run over to her right then. I mouthed the words ‘thank you & I love you’. She smiled and placed her hand over her heart and nodded her head.
I went and accepted my diploma, took a seat and stared up at them. They were all beaming with pride from my accomplishment, especially Troy. If I didn't know any better, he had tears in his eyes too.
After all the graduates were announced, I gathered with my family. Amy’s family was there too as I tried to introduce them to everyone. I was still shocked they all came down. Each and every one of them gave me a hug and congratulated me. It had been years since I had seen most of them. Troy was the only one I kept in contact with while I was at school.
Amy’s parents had secretly invited all of them down for the ceremony. They also rented a couple houses close to theirs on the beach for them to stay in for the next three days. I was still overcome with emotion. I couldn't thank them enough for doing this for me. I hadn't felt this kind of love since my parents died, and I would be forever grateful to them.
By the time everything was done, it was a little after 2:00 PM. The ceremony was a shorter than anticipated. We all jumped in our cars and made the five hour trip to the beach house. Amy’s parents had arranged for each of my siblings to have a car for their family and we headed out.
We arrived just before 7:00 PM, and by the time every one checked in and got situated, it was close to 9:00 PM. We changed clothes and I wore a pair of khaki shorts with a white V-neck t-shirt. Amy looked stunning. She wore a thin white cotton dress that was about four inches above her knees and accentuated every bit of her body. She looked amazing.
My Blue Eyes Page 18